


Like Puzzle Pieces

by pretzel_logic



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Multi, soulmate daemons, this is so complicated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-22 02:49:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1573364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretzel_logic/pseuds/pretzel_logic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Free People had soulmates and daemons to help them find their one. A daemon was part of your soulmate's soul, left in your care in return for part of yours.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a fill for a hobbitkink prompt found ([here](http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/10731.html?thread=22448363#t22448363)).
> 
> For the sake of sanity (mostly mine) daemons do NOT indicate the sex of a person's soulmate. Daemons are just the opposite sex of their person.
> 
> This concept is already complicated enough as much as I like it.

All Free People had soulmates and daemons to help them find their one. A daemon was part of your soulmate's soul, left in your care in return for part of yours. 

It used to terrify Thorin, that a part of his soul was missing and he had a part of someone else's to fill the void. 

Adad had laughed kindly when he voiced this concern. "You are thinking about it all wrong, inùdoy. Soulmates are like a piece of interlocking jewelry. Look here," Thrain instructed, offering his cloak clasp. "When locked in place it shows your amad's and mine daemons facing eachother. When taken apart though both deamons are missing their forelegs. With only one-half of the clasp, the image is incomplete. When you find your One inùdoy, you will realize you are not just completing yourself but a bigger and grander picture."

Thorin kept that lesson in mind every time Danukinhul insisted on taking a small and harmless form. Dwarf daemons were not supposed to be small and cute, they were supposed to be big and fierce to display their warrior spirit.

-

Prince and second in line for the throne or not, Thorin was bullied for Danukinhul's oddity. 

"She is so small! And never a predator! What kind of dwarf would have a One like that?"

"Do you think his One is an elf? They like to eat greens."

"Do you think the prince forces her to keep such shapes? He does like to draw attention to himself..."

"Such an a strange name for a daemon...."

On and on the remarks went, filling Thorin with shame for his daemon, his One. He was going to be King some day, would his One even be worth introducing to Erebor's court? 

"Why must you be so small?" Thorin demanded one day when he could stand the loud 'whispers' of Erebor's nobility no longer.

"I like being small, Thorin. It feels right," she told with an exasperated tone, as if they had this argument a thousand times before. In a sense, they had. Danukinhul always told Thorin not to mind the comments, that the dwarves were being silly and rude. He tried to obey but never could.

"Then be small but fierce. Like a deadly snake or one of those mink creatures," Thorin pleaded.

She gave him an unimpressed and displeased look. "Snakes are short-tempered idiots and minks are crazy."

"But at least they are appropriate forms for dwarves," Thorin stubbornly argued. Thorin lost arguments with Danukinhul more often then he cared to admit. For all that she was a fussy, tiny daemon, Danukinhul controlled her emotions better and often defeated him with calm, practical logic.

"Then maybe you're One isn't a dwarf," Danukinhul snapped testily, chimpmunk fur puffing out in irritation before she suddenly changed into a bush baby to better convey her surprise. "Thorin..."

"It would make more sense, dwarf souls do not like to appear small but maybe... another race does?" Thorin wondered, thinking over the possibility with a mixture of sadness and joy. Having a One that wasn't a dwarf would explain Danukinhul's quirks but life spans varied greatly between the Free Races.

"A Man maybe. I doubt an Elf. I hear daemons indicating elves can sense the grace elves have," Danukinhul contributed before turing into a gray tabby cat and grooming herself. "I don't feel much like I'm part of a Man though. They're always in a rush with no appreciation for the simple joys of life."

"If not an Elf, thank Mahal, or a Man, then what?" Thorin demanded. Men and Elves were the only races within easy traveling distance of Erebor. As Thrain's eldest, he wasn't likely to ever leave Erebor.

Danukinhul rubbed at her whiskers with her forepaw and flicked her tail playfully at Thorin. "Something small."

Thorin always intended to use Erebor's large library to research the possible race of his One but, then Smaug attacked and Danukinhul settled. She was an unsurprisingly small white and blonde dog with large ears and stubby tail. Thorin had no idea what her breed was but he knew she was some kind of herding dog from the way she watched over his people as they traveled in search of a new home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo's daemon settles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, last chapter I asked for pairing preferences and I'm still taking suggestions into consideration. 
> 
> Also I'm updating this so quickly because I already posted this chapter on Livejournal. No promises when chapter 3 will be done.

"Why are we looking for _elves_?" Bronwyn demanded testily as she took the surprisingly small form of a stoat. Bronwyn _hated_ being small but, sneaking around searching for elves was easier when one was tiny.

"Because I want to meet elves. Mother's stories about meeting elves and father's books on them are so cool. I want to meet one!" Bilbo explained excitedly.

Bilbo doubted anyone else could tell but, Bronwyn started scowling fiercely. He was surprised she didn't start growling. "Do we _have_ to?" she whined.

"Yes," Bilbo stated firmly as he wandered further into the small woods. "You're such a strange daemon, Bronwyn, disliking elves."

"I don't feel strange for not liking elves," Bronwyn continued to grumble before turning into a cat almost as big as a hobbit. "Is that... really all you think strange of me? I'm not like other hobbit-daemons _at all_."

Bilbo looked over at his daemon surprised. Bronwyn never seemed to care what others thought of her or how very un-hobbit-like she acted. Bilbo admired that confidence and wished he had a bit more of it himself. To learn Bronwyn had her doubts... hurt. 

"You like to fight but, its usually to protect me or my little cousins from bullies. You're rather territorial but, you're just bad at pretending not be like everyone else. And you love fiercely, like fire, strong and hot and very bright. There's nothing strange about any of that Bronwyn. Just different and I rather like how different you are. I can't _wait_ to meet my Half some day though I'm a little scared about it too," Bilbo admitted.

"What? Why?" Bronwyn demanded, turning into a giant otter and tackle-cuddling Bilbo to the ground. "I scare you too?" she asked quietly, sounding wretched.

"No!" Bilbo denied fiercely, hugging Bronwyn and doing best to soothe her. Bronwyn could be scary, at times, but he was never scared _of_ her and that was not what he meant at all. "You don't do anything by half Bronwyn. When you set out to do something, you do it. You don't care about how long or how many times you'll fail first. You put all of yourself in _everything_ you do and... that's why I'm scared of meeting my Half. Cause they'll be like you and they'll love me with all they are. I don't know if I can do the same," Bilbo said, burying his face into Bronwyn's fur.

"Don't be foolish," Bronwyn grumped. "I'm right here and we manage just fine."

Bilbo laughed. "Except we fight over terribly silly things. Like elves."

"We're stubborn. You usually win," Bronwyn pointed out.

Again he laughed and ruffled Bronwyn's fur as she turned into a bobcat. "You're right but I don't always win. How about we look for fairies instead?"

"We might find some of your distant relatives if we're lucky," Bronwyn teased and just like that all was well again. 

Shaking his head at the emotional whiplash Bronwyn was prone to display whenever feelings needed to be discussed, Bilbo hoped his daemon and Half would grow out of the habit. Emotional constipation could not be healthy for any individual.

\---

Bilbo was twenty-four when Bronwyn settled which was quite early for a Hobbit. The Fell Winter caused many around Bilbo's age to settle early, those that survived. The memory of Bronwyn's settling and the events that followed would stay with him for the rest of his life.

His family huddled together in the living room around the fireplace for warmth. Usually Bilbo sat between his parents but as his father's health failed Bilbo switched places with him so that he may be warmed a bit more. In front of them sat their daemons, his mother's terrier and father's corgi buried beneath the warmth of Bronwyn in the shape of a bear. 

Everytime the wind or a wolf outside howled, Bronwyn would growl loud and fierce, daring nature to just _try_ and harm their family. As night fell the wolves outside would begin to scratch at the door and boarded up windows trying to get inside. That night one wolf finally succeeded. 

Bronwyn was the first to react to the sudden intrusion. With a loud roar she rushed the wolf and tried to claw its face off. Nimbly the wolf dodged the attack and lunged for her throat. Bilbo remembered, vaguely, his mother's desperate pleas for Bilbo to take his father to safety so she could focus on killing the wolf. Bilbo was too focused on Bronwyn and her fight with the wolf to listen. Shape after shape Bronwyn changed into, trying to end the wolf without success. 

Then Bronwyn took the shape of a wolf unlike any Bilbo had ever seen. The mountain wolves that had invaded the Shire and Bag End were quite large and yet Bronwyn was a good head taller and much bulkier. In stark contrast to the mountain wolf's white coat Brownyn fur was a dark rich black. While the wolf was distracted from her new alarming shape, Bronwyn struck at the wolf's neck and with a sudden jerk accompanied by a loud snap the fight was over.

Bilbo remained frozen as his father and Blodeuyn inquired if he was alright as his mother boarded up the broken window.

"Oh Bronwyn," Bilbo finally said as the large wolf stopped a few feet from him.

"I've settled," she declared boldly as if Bilbo could not sense it. She shifted nervously and he knew Bronwyn was worried he was unhappy with her true form.

"You're beautiful," Bilbo assured her before burying his head against her shoulder and hugging her neck. "I was so worried for you. I'm so happy you're safe."

"I couldn't let that wolf hurt you, I just couldn't," Bronwyn admitted, sounding so scared and worried and relieved that the worst had not happened.

They stayed huddled together for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay some AU notes. Every race has a different name for their soulmate. Humans use soulmate and it became popular enough that everyone else uses it interchangably with the other name.
> 
> Dwarves: use the term One and their daemon names are in khuzdul  
> Hobbits: use the term Half. Daemons names are welsh, irish, or celtic.  
> Elves: use the term Eternal (when speaking in westeron anyways). Daemon names will be in Sindarin or Queyna.  
> Humans: again use the term soulmate. Languages vary though I'll aim for esoteric.  
> Half-elves and the descendants thereof: names vary on language.  
> Skinchangers: Simply refer to soulmate as mate. Don't divulge names. simply refer to daemon as type of animal they settle as.

**Author's Note:**

> ATTENTION! HEY LISTEN!
> 
> If you want any particular ships beyond Bilbo/Thorin speak up now. The OP of the prompt has not mentioned any and I kind of NEED to know ships in advance given the nature of daemons in this story.
> 
> Personally I'm towards some pairings already but I'm open to suggestions.


End file.
